Vegetable and Berry Curry Rice

Even as Luo Mu stood in the fields of the Farming Area, he was still mulling over his earlier exchange with the system.

First of all, his overall approach to handling the Pokémon Egg was not wrong. Whether it was the Incubation Nutrient Solution or finding a powerful Pokémon with the Flame Body Ability, both were the right decisions.

But what concerned him more was that phrase, "the distant past." Did the system mean that this Pokémon Egg came from the far past—perhaps even ancient times?

If so, this Pokémon Egg probably had quite an extraordinary origin.

Although Luo Mu had some guesses, he did not dare confirm them. Perhaps only the day the Pokémon Egg hatched would prove whether his suspicions were correct.

Luo Mu stopped dwelling on it and smiled at Eldegoss, who had been waiting eagerly nearby. "Did you sleep well last night? Are you getting used to the place?"

Eldegoss was much livelier than yesterday. It bounced around, clearly enjoying the farm's environment, and answered Luo Mu's question through its actions.

The two Gossifleur, meanwhile, seemed somewhat restrained. Perhaps because they had woken up in an unfamiliar place, they had yet to adjust. They merely hid timidly behind Eldegoss, secretly observing Luo Mu, Serperior, and Swampert beside him.

Luo Mu smiled. Not in any rush to get close to the Gossifleur, he said to Eldegoss, "I'm planning to sow the seeds this morning. You can take the Gossifleur around within the fenced area to familiarize yourselves with the surroundings. Once I'm done, I'll make a little wooden nest for you and the Gossifleur so you can sleep more comfortably."

Eldegoss nodded. Knowing it could not help much with the farming stage, it chose to follow Luo Mu's arrangements and led the Gossifleur off to explore the unfamiliar surroundings while playing around.

Watching the three bouncing figures gradually disappear into the distance, Luo Mu raised his head toward the cloudless sky and muttered, "Looks like it'll be sunny today. Perfect weather for working the fields."

With that, Luo Mu put on his straw hat, picked up his iron hoe, and called over Swampert and Serperior, ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work.

Today's goal was to plant all the seeds!

Beneath the clear blue sky, Luo Mu swung his hoe and dug a small hole, then placed the last of the Strawberry Seeds in his hand—or rather, the skins of strawberries—into the soil.

Serperior then controlled its Vine Whip to gather the loose dirt nearby and cover them. Swampert brought over a bucket of ordinary water without Water-type energy, which Luo Mu sprinkled evenly over the soil in small amounts.

With that, the complete planting process was finished. All that remained was to wait for Eldegoss and the others to return so they could nourish the seeds.

Luo Mu let out a breath and washed his hands with Swampert's help. Looking at the five small plots of farmland spaced apart from one another, he felt a powerful sense of accomplishment fill his heart.

This was his first step toward a pastoral life, as well as a small step in the farm's development.

Today was a day worth commemorating. Although Luo Mu wanted to take the opportunity to name the farm right away, when he considered Dragonite, who had gone out to gather lumber, and Luxray and the others, who had gone to search for powerful Pokémon with Flame Body, he decided to put that urge off for a little longer.

Something this worth commemorating should only be done once everyone was present.

Seeing that Eldegoss and the others had yet to return, Luo Mu did not think they would get lost in such a small farm. He sent Serperior and Swampert to bring them back while he went to see why that kid Arven was still asleep at noon.

The shortest straight-line distance from the farm was to the Small Western-Style House. Next came the as-yet-unbuilt Ranch Area, followed by the farthest Lake Area.

Luo Mu carried his hoe over his shoulder and hummed a tune as he reached the front door in three or four minutes. On a whim, he looked up and found Arven sprawled over the third-floor windowsill, staring blankly into the distance with an inexplicably melancholy air.

Good grief, how could a ten-year-old live like some disillusioned middle-aged man weathered by life? Luo Mu leaned his hoe against the wall, opened the front door, and rushed straight up to the third floor. He grabbed Arven, whose face was covered in dark circles as he pretended to be gloomy, by the collar and snapped, "So you didn't listen to a single thing I told you yesterday?"

"Look at those dark circles. What time did you stay up until last night?"

Arven yawned and replied weakly, "Four o'clock."

Luo Mu: "..."

Staring at this ten-year-old who was throwing a tantrum with his parents all by himself, Luo Mu even began to wonder whether such a childish Arven could really set out on a journey at the same age as that other ten-year-old super rookie.

Luo Mu had his doubts.

Not that he intended to correct Arven's stubborn personality today, Luo Mu released the back of his collar and said, "Forget it. Go wash up. I'm going to make lunch."

Although Arven was currently in his rebellious phase of sulking with his parents, he still completely obeyed Luo Mu in all matters unrelated to them.

He immediately shuffled off in his little slippers, pattering down to the washroom on the first floor.

Luo Mu strolled into the kitchen and opened the cupboard to inspect the few remaining ingredients. He muttered, "It'd be nice to have a refrigerator. I could freeze some meat. But money's a little tight right now, so we'll have to eat vegetables and game for a while. Today, we'll have Vegetable and Berry Curry Rice!"

With that, Luo Mu took out carrots, onions, and other curry ingredients from the cupboard, along with half a bag of leftover curry powder.

As for the meat portion, they had only recently finished the meat and had not gone to buy more. Besides, Eldegoss and the others would probably not be able to accept meat. Luo Mu took out several large, plump Pecha Berries from the cupboard. They were samples Peter had given him when he visited Jones Farm, asking him to try them.

Now, they were perfect for cooking.

Rather than peaches, Pecha Berries tasted more like some mildly flavored, low-juice fruit flesh. Pairing them with curry rice was not really a culinary disaster. Luo Mu had tried it once before, and it tasted quite good.

Making the curry for curry rice was simple. He stir-fried the ingredients in a little hot oil until cooked through. Since Pecha Berries tasted bad when they touched hot oil, he first added enough warm water to cover the ingredients. After the water came to a boil, he added Pecha Berries cut into bite-sized pieces, then simmered the curry until it thickened.

After finishing everything, Luo Mu scooped up a little curry to taste it. The sweet curry was light and mellow, and its delicate flavor lingered endlessly after careful savoring. That was all thanks to the Pecha Berries' natural flavor.

Surely Eldegoss and the others would like this as their first meal as new members.

Luo Mu removed some of the firewood beneath the stove, covered the pot, and left it to simmer over low heat. For a moment, he missed the days when Ceruledge was around. Its flames were always controlled with such precision, while starting a fire with wood himself really did leave him covered in soot.

This suburban place of his did not even have gas lines. Being able to get electricity and running water already meant Los Platos had decent infrastructure.